Winnipeg elementary school shoots for moon with stuffie design

A stuffed animal designed by elementary schoolers in Winnipeg could be launched into outer space on NASA’s Artemis II mission.

Royal School’s space club learned this summer its proposed “moon mascot” — Luna the Space Polar Bear — had been shortlisted in an international contest.

This year, for the first time, NASA invited members of the public to submit ideas for a zero-gravity indicator.

Liesl Gerullis, a nine-year-old space enthusiast from Winnipeg, said the crew that travels to the moon next year will “want a stuffie so they can feel they are at home.”

“(Astronauts also) need it because as a zero-g indicator, they are light, compact and won’t damage anything or hurt anyone,” added Liesl, who attends Royal School, a kindergarten-to-Grade 5 building in the Assiniboine South neighbourhood.

NASA received more than 2,600 entries from upwards of 50 countries.

Liesl’s school is one of 25 finalists. There are only three contenders from Canada.

Luna the Space Polar Bear is meant to wear a spacesuit with a moon badge and gold helmet, as per student drawings.

The young designers chose the Arctic animal because of its adaptability in extreme cold conditions. Their pitch to NASA drew a comparison to how spacesuits protect astronauts from the harsh environment of space.

The Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen is part of the selection committee and crew that will use the winning design to determine when they have reached zero gravity — they will all be strapped into their seats — after takeoff.

Hansen, a 49-year-old astronaut, is slated to make history next year as the first Canadian to join a lunar mission.

Should the local students’ design be selected, it would be fabricated and flown to the moon in April with Hansen on the Orion spacecraft.

Liesl, who will be in Grade 5 this fall, met the astronaut last year when he paid a visit to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

“My daughter has wanted to be an astronaut since she was about three, and our family is consumed by this now,” said Sara Gerullis, a mother of two. “We love learning about space.”

With the help of school administrators, Gerullis launched a lunch-time club to support her eldest’s passion and get her peers excited about space exploration.

The club officially began in October during World Space Week, which is from Oct. 4 to 10 this year.

It attracted dozens of Grade 3 to 5 children during the 2024-25 school year. They learned about everything from the weather on different planets to the process of a lunar eclipse.

Gerullis said she was elated that the majority of the weekly attendees were girls. “I love seeing girls get interested in engineering and aerospace,” said the volunteer club coordinator.

She organized Lego-rover building and submitted two drawings to the NASA Artemis II ZGI design challenge, among other activities.

Principal Tanis Thiessen said she is “pumped” for all the students who contributed to the shortlisted design.

“To be one of 25 entries chosen, and only three of them are in Canada? Holy moly — that’s so, so exciting,” she said.

Thiessen said student engagement and excitement has surged as a result of the space club and the hands-on opportunities connected to it.

Liesl said she’s enjoyed learning about black holes and spending time with other who kids who share her love of space.

Asked about what piqued her interest in the topic, the nine-year-old replied: “Space seems so big, beautiful and complex.”

Her mother noted there are middle schools with similar clubs, but she is not aware of others at the elementary level.

As far as Gerullis is concerned, Grade 3 to 5 students are “the perfect age” for this kind of programming.

“They have an innate sense of wonder and I love that about them. They have lots of curious questions and ideas,” she said.

The club hosted more than 20 guest speakers during its inaugural year, including the University of Manitoba’s Robotics Team, a meteorologist and the Manitoba Museum’s planetarium astronomer.

Gerullis said she hopes the extracurricular activity will be a catalyst for students to consider pursuing science, technology and engineering careers.

NASA gave students instructions on size constraints and what materials were allowed as part of its 2025 ZGI design challenge.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca